Flood valve assembly



Jan. 14, 1964 J. CHAMBERLIN 3,117,517

FLOOD VALVE ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 12, 1962 53 3 F H 6.1. F RG02: I so 464e 16 5| '7 I0 I ll 1 I F RG3.

FLOODING CONTROL MECH.

INVENTOR. JOHN M. CHAMBERLIN United States This invention relates to aflooder for a marine mine and the like and more particularly to aflooder for a floating mine in which electroresponsive explosive meansare employed to rupture the flooder as the mine is disarmed thereby tocause the mine to sink within the water as the result of water admittedto the interior of the mine.

In devices of this character heretofore devised it has been the usualpractice to assemble the flooder with the mine casing prior to storagethereof within a warehouse or transportation of the mine to thelaunching vessel, as the case may be. In either event theelectroresponsive explosive means was subject to premature operation byreason of the fact that the two lead-in wires connected thereto were notshunted and the device therefore would be actuated prematurely in theevent that the lead-in wires should become connected to a source ofpotential.

In accordance with the present invention the foregoing disadvantages areovercome by providing a flooder device which is merely plugged in to themine casing just prior to planting of the mine and the lead-in wires tothe detonating elements disposed therein are short circuited until thedevice has been plugged into the mine. Furthermore, the necessaryelectrical connections between the lead-in wires and the plug inelements for establishing an external electrical connection thereto aremade without employing a soldering operation. The device of the presentinvention possesses all of the advantages of the prior art devices andnone of the foregoing disadvantages.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved flooder for a marine mine.

Another object is to provide an electroresponsive flooder for anunderwater marine weapon in which means are provided for shortcircuiting the electroresponsive detonating element therein until theflooder has been plugged into the weapon.

A still further object is to provide a flooder for a mine in which theelectroresponsive detonating element encapsulated therein is shortcircuited until'the flooder has been plugged into the mine, theelectrical connection between the electroresponsive detonating elementand the plug-in electrical terminals being achieved by new and improvedconnecting means in which a soldering operation is not involved.

Various other objects, improvements and advantages will be apparent fromthe following description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a view partly in section of the flooder of the presentinvention plugged into and sealed to a mine casing;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view partially broken away and partially insection of the device of FIG. 1 in an assembled position with the mine;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view of the flooder prior to insertion withinthe mine casing;

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FIG. 5 is a greatly enlarged view in perspective and partially brokenaway of one of the spring terminal ele ments of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 illustrates diagrammatically a circuit arrangement suitable foruse with the device of the present invention for sinking a subfloatingmine.

Referring now to the drawings for a better understanding of theinvention on which like reference numerals are employed to designatelike parts throughout the several views, and more particularly to FIG. 1thereof, there is shown thereon a flooder in accordance with a preferredembodiment of the invention and designated generally by the numeral 19.The device comprises a body 11 of generally cylindrical configurationhaving two outwardly extending portions 12 configured generally as shownand having a notched or grooved portion 13 therebetween, each of theends of the grooved portions 13 being contiguous with a longitudinalgroove 14 extending along the outer periphery of the device for asubstantial portion of the length thereof. A pair of grooved portions 15are provided in the body for receiving and retaining a pair of contactspring members 16 and 17, respectively disposed therein in such mannerthat the spring members are in mutual engagement as shown on FIG. 4prior to plugging the flooder into the mine casing. The lower ends ofthe spring members 16 and 17 are each provided with a generallyU-sh-aped clamping portion 18 adapted to grip aninterior the face of thegroove 15 and maintain the spring member in an assembled position withrespect to the bodymember. There is also provided, on the lowerendportion of each spring member, a tab 19 adapted to engage and grip anexposed end portion of a pair of lead-in wires for establishing anelectrical connection to a pair of electro-responsive detonators orsquibs 21 respectively connected thereto in such manner that thedetonators are connected in parallel across the spring members 16.

and 17. The detonators 21 are respectively disposed within recessedportions 22 of the body, a pair of apertures 23 being provided withinthe body in communication with the recessed portions 22 whereby the pairof lead-in wires from each detonator may be disposed within a differentone of the apertures to permit the lead-in wiresto extend to the springmembers 1617 for connection thereto. The body 11 is provided with aregister 24 at the lower end thereof for establishing a connection witha cap 25 configured externally through a cylinder of the same diameteras the cylinder of the body and having a circular radially extendingflange 26 at the lower portion thereof. The interior of the cap 25 ishollowed out as at 27 to form an explosion chamber about the lower endsof the detonators 22 when the cap is in the assembled position. Thecasing 28 of the mine to be flooded is provided with a cylindricalsupport 29 welded interiorly thereto as at 31 and having a bore 32therein in alignment with a corresponding bore 33 of the same diameterformed within the casing 28 of the mine. The cylindrical support 29 isthreaded as at 34 to receive a hollow nutlike element 35 securelythreaded therein. element is provided with a bore 36 adapted to slidablyreceive the body 11 and threaded as at 37 to engage a circular clampingmember 38 threaded therein, the clamping member being provided with abore 39 of substantially the same diameter as body 11 and a circularshoulder- The nut-like 41 abutting the bore 39 adapted to receive and beengaged by flange 26 of the body 11 and securely clamp the flooder inthe assembled position within the mine when the clamping member istightened by a suitable tool engaging the slots 42 within the clampingmember. A flexible seal 43 is provided between the upper annular surfaceof the clamping member 3% and the lower surface of nutlil e elementthereby to effect a watertight seal between the clamping member 38 andthe interior of the mine. An O-ring 45 is provided between the clampingmember 38 and the body 11 substantially as shown to provide a watertightseal therebetween.

On the upper surface of the nut-like element 35 is provided a pair ofupstanding supports 46 diametrically disposed about the aperturedportion of the element 35 and each having a flanged end portion 47extending within bore of the element 35 suflicient to engage the grooves14 of the body 11, FIG. 3, and thereby provide means for insertion ofbody 11 within the nut-like element 3 4 in a predetermined alignedposition with respect to the supports 46. A terminal board or mountingplate 48 is secured to the supports 46 as by the screws 49 illustrated.The terminal board is also provided with three tapered contact plugs 51arranged in a row for engaging the springs 16 and 17 of the flooder whenthe flooder is in the assembled position shown on FIG. 2. Spring member17, it will be noted, is provided with a single upper contacting surfacefor engagement with the centrally located plug 51 when the flooder hasbeen assembled in the mine. The spring member 16, it will be noted, isprovided with a slot 52, FIG. 3, of less width than the width of thespring member 17 thereby to form a pair of contacting surfaces on thespring member 16 for engagement with the contacting surface of springmember 17 prior to the assembly of the flooder within the mine, thecontacting surfaces being so configured that the three contactingsurfaces will each engage a corresponding one of the contact plugs 51when the flooder is assembled in the mine and thereby remove the shortcircuit from the detonators 21 and connect the detonators by way ofconductors 53 and 54 to a flooding control circuit 55, the electricalconnections between the conductor 53 and outer contact plugs 51 andbetween condoctor 54 and center contact plug 51, respectively, beingachieved by a pair of metallic connector strips connected theretosubstantially as shown. The body 11 and cap 25 therefor are composed ofinsulating materials suitable for the purpose, such, for example, asBakelite or any of the synthetic plastic varieties thereof suitable forthe purpose of sufiicient strength to maintain the parts immovably inthe assembled position prior to firing of the flooder and ofinsufficient strength to prevent destruction of the flooder to an extentsutficient to cause the mine to be flooded in response to the operationof the detonators 21.

The flooder may be operated by any suitable means, such, as for example,as the circuit means diagrammatically illustrated on FIG. 6 on which isshown flooder 10' connected by conductors 53 and 54 to a floodingcontrol mechanism 55 and a hydrostatically actuated switch 56, the.circuit including a battery 57. The flooding control mechanism may beof any type suitable for the purpose such, for example, as the floodingcontrol mechanism disclosed in Patent No. 2,705,919 dated April 12,1955, to H. W. Semon.

Briefly stated in summary, the present invention contemplates theprovision of a new and improved flooder for an underwater marine weaponwhich is adapted to be plugged into the mine after the mine has beenassembled and in which means are provided for short circuiting theelectroresponsive detonator elements therein until the flooder has beenplugged into the mine and in which the connection between the detonatingelements and the plug in contact elements carried by the flooder areachieved by a frictional clamp device and without the utilization of asoldering operation.

Whereas the invention has been described with reference to one examplethereof which gives satisfactory results, it is not so limited as itwill be apparent to one skilled in the art, after understanding theinvention that various changes and modifications may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention and it is intendedtherefore, in the appended claims to cover all such changes andmodifications.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent ofthe United'States isi l. A device for flooding a floating mine withwater comprising a casingsecured to the mine, said casing having anormally sealed port in communication with the water, an explosionchamber adjacent said port, a pair of electroresponsive detonatorswithin said casing in communication with said explosion chamber, a pairof normally closed spring contacts carried by said casing, lead-in wiresinterconnecting the detonators in parallel connection with said springcontacts, at least two tapered terminal pins fixed interiorly to themine in a manner to engage said spring contacts and establish anexternal operative firing circuit to the detonators, the spring contactsbeing moved to an unshorting position by the tapered terminal pins asthe springs are engaged thereby, and means for applying an impulse tothe firing circuit thereby to unseal said port and admit water into theinterior of the mine.

2. A flooding device according to claim 1 in which the spring contactsare provided with a tab in an end portion thereof to friction-allyengage an end portion of said leadin wires and maintain electricalcontact therewith when the spring contacts are assembled on said casing.

3. A flooding device according to claim 2 in which the casing isprovided with a pair of slots within an end portion thereof within whichthe spring contacts are forced, each of said spring contacts beingprovided with a generally U-shaped end portion for engagement with awall of said slots in a manner to frictionally maintain the contactsprings in assembled relation therewith and establish good electricalcontact with the ends of said leadin wires.

4. A flood valve according to claim 3 including means for aligning theclosed spring contacts with the tapered terminal pins prior toengagement therewith.

5. A flood valve according to claim 4 including a pair of posts forsupporting the tapered terminal pins in fixed relation to the minecasing, each of said posts having a flange formed thereon, and thealigning means includes a pair of longitudinal grooves formed exteriorlyon the casing for engagement with said flanges when the spring contactsare aligned with the tapered terminal pins.

6. A flood valve according to claim 5 including an annular devicethreadedly connected to the mine at an interior portion thereof forengaging said casing in a manner to maintain the flood valve in anassembled position within the mine.

7. The flood valve of the claim 6 including means for effecting aWatertight seal between the casing and the outer surface of the mine.

8. The flood valve of claim 7 in which the casing is composed of a rigidplastic material.

9. A flood valve assembly for flooding a floating mine with watercomprising a casing composed of a rigid plastic material secured to themine, a pair of electroresponsive detonators within said casing, a pairof normally closed spring contacts carried by said casing, lead-in wiresinterconnecting the detonators in parallel connection with said springcontacts to normally short-circuit the detonators, and means for openingsaid contacts and establishing an external operative firing circuit tothe detonators.

10. In a flooder for a floating mine, in combination, a casing securedto the mine, a pair of electroresponsive detonators within said casing,a pair of normally closed spring contacts carried by said casing,lead-in wires intel-connecting the detonators in parallel connectionwith said spring contacts to normally short-circuit the detonators, andmeans comprising a plurality of tapered contact pins for engagin saidspring contacts to open said contacts, and adapted to establish anelectrical connection between one of said pins and one of said springcontacts and to establish another electrical connection between anotherof said pins and the other spring contact, thereby unshorting the springcontact-detonator circuit and establishing an external operative firingcircuit to the detonators.

11. The flooder of claim 10 in which one of said References Cited in thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Semon Apr. 12, 1955 2,881,702Glennon et a1. Apr. 14, 1959 2,931,874 Learnan Apr. 5, 1960 3,011,438Turlay et a]. Dec. 5, 196 1

9. A FLOOD VALVE ASSEMBLY FOR FLOODING A FLOATING MINE WITH WATERCOMPRISING A CASING COMPOSED OF A RIGID PLASTIC MATERIAL SECURED TO THEMINE, A PAIR OF ELECTRORESPONSIVE DETONATORS WITHIN SAID CASING, A PAIROF NORMALLY CLOSED SPRING CONTACTS CARRIED BY SAID CASING, LEAD-IN WIRESINTERCONNECTING THE DETONATORS IN PARALLEL CONNECTION WITH SAID SPRINGCONTACTS TO NORMALLY SHORT-CIRCUIT THE DETONATORS, AND MEANS FOR OPENINGSAID CONTACTS AND ESTABLISHING AN EXTERNAL OPERATIVE FIRING CIRCUIT TOTHE DETONATORS.